🏏ICC Men's T20I WC 2022 -Pak vs RSA, M-36th, Super 12 Group 2🏏 - Page 2

The South Africans were on the verge of beating Zimbabwe in Hobart on October 24 when the game was washed out. They responded by winning against Bangladesh in Sydney last Thursday and against India in Perth on Sunday, and finding different ways to do so into the bargain.

Babar Azam's side have undertaken the reverse journey. Having squandered a bulletproof position to lose, to India, the greatest T20I yet played at the MCG on October 23, Pakistan then crashed to Zimbabwe by a single run in Perth four days later. No doubt still shellshocked by what happened at the MCG, the Pakistanis were ripe for the picking by the ambitious, feisty Zimbos.

Originally posted by: Swetha-Sai

What are the chances of India going to the SF if Pak wins or SA wins?

Thanks for the tag. 🤗

If Pak win today, then their chances of entering into Semis bright!

Still, ther eis no clear picture, let us wait and watch!!😃

In their most recent match, in Perth on Sunday, Pakistan dealt emphatically with the Netherlands; limiting them to 91/9 and polishing off the target with 6.1 overs to spare.

But the damage of those two early defeats, particularly the way they went down to India, clearly run deep.

The South Africans are quietly building up a serious head of steam.

They had to work harder to beat India in challenging conditions, in the second half of the doubleheader in Perth on Sunday, than they might have thought after they held Rohit Sharma's team to 133/9.

But even getting home with two balls remaining couldn't dull the salient truth that they are the only team to beat India at this tournament so far.

All of which says South Africa should win at the SCG on Today. Except that they've never beaten Pakistan in this tournament.

A 40% chance of showers in the evening, which is pretty much the standard Sydney forecast. That means it probably won't rain. Despite the SCG's historically sluggish runrate in T20Is - only the MCG's was lower in Australia going into the tournament - three of the top five totals in the T20 World Cup, including both 200 toppers ahead of Wednesday's games, have been recorded here.

Head to head: Pakistan have won 11 of their 21 T20Is against South Africa, including all three games when the teams have met in previous editions of what is now called the T20 World Cup.

With Zaman out, the performance of Shan Masood, already Pakistan's most consistent batter in the tournament, becomes even more key to their chances.

Although it can seem as if South Africa's entire game revolves around booming fast bowling and Quinton de Kock, players like Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Wayne Parnell have emphasized their worth during the tournament.

Did you know?

- The last time South Africa beat Pakistan in either kind of World Cup Mark Boucher and Saqlain Mushtaq were in the XIs. They prevailed by three wickets at Trent Bridge in June 1999.

- Teams batting first have won all four T20 World Cup matches played at the SCG, and all by convincing margins - India's 56-run thumping of the Netherlands is the smallest.

It's game day at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and it's a big clash between South Africa and Pakistan. Before going any further, let's dive into the scenarios first. For South Africa, it's quite simple - a win tonight and they will become the first team to officially qualify for the semi-final, with the added incentive of perhaps topping the group.

For Pakistan, the equation is rather complicated - they need to win both their remaining matches and then hope for a few other results going their way. For starters, Pakistan has to win tonight, else this group will be as good as decided, ahead of the forthcoming final set of games on Sunday.

Can South Africa finally break the World Cup jinx? Is 2022 the end of a 30-year old wait for a World Cup title? Here's Telford Vice writing about the Protean fire--

https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/124353/can-south-africa-finally-believe

In terms of form, South Africa are on a roll and are the only unbeaten team in the competition so far. They were tested by India on a bouncy surface at Perth, but they're back to a stadium where they notched up a 200+ score in their previous match. But unlike Bangladesh, Pakistan have a potent bowling attack and it could be another test of character for Temba Bavuma's men. In terms of personnel, they have a clean bill of health, although conditions might dictate the need for an additional spinner instead of a pacer. On the other hand, Fakhar Zaman, who came in only as an injury replacement, has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury and has been promptly replaced by wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Haris. Will SCG throw up another run-fest tonight? Toss and team sheets in a while..

Thanks for the tag Madhu...

So Pak will bat first..... Let's see😎